Mansfield Update: The Kids Are Coming
Week 6 of VCE’s 2019 banding season on Mansfield brought a second consecutive bump in mist net captures, and the first appearance of locally-hatched juveniles. Human youngsters also highlighted the week.
Mansfield Birds Rebound Modestly in Week 5
Mist net captures on Mt. Mansfield rebounded modestly during week 5 of VCE’s 2019 banding season. While encouraging, overall numbers are still abnormally low. A scarcity of yearling birds suggests that recruitment has been low, possibly resulting from a poor 2018 breeding season.
Mansfield One-month Update—Where Are All the Birds??
One month in to VCE’s 28th field season on Mt. Mansfield, bird populations are as low as they’ve ever been. We’ve netted only 43% of the numbers we had at this date a year ago. What is going on??
Avian Surprises on the Mt. Mansfield Ridgeline
VCE’s third visit of 2019 to the Mt. Mansfield ridgeline brought fine weather and some unusual avian encounters, including our first-ever mist net capture of a Mourning Warbler. Overall, activity continues to be low, with numbers of captures <50% of what they were a year ago, but it's far too early to push the proverbial panic button and declare "silent spring"!
VCE’s 28th Mansfield Season Begins on a Quiet, Chilly Note
VCE’s 28th field season studying the breeding birds on Mt. Mansfield ridgeline is off to a quiet and chilly start. Vocal activity has been subdued and mist net captures low, but inevitable avian surprises have kept banders’ spirits high.
Field Guide to June 2019
Here in Vermont, we dream of June during the darkest winter days. It’s days last forever. Here’s just a few of the natural history wonders for the month.
Where are the Whip-poor-wills? 2018 Field Season Update
For more than a decade, VCE has led a project that takes place while most folks are fast asleep. Learn about our 2018 Whip-poor-will Project survey results, and find out how you can get involved!
Field Guide to October 2018
October is a month of change. The forested hills fade from green to a kaleidoscope of red and gold that dazzles the eyes. Here’s your field guide to some moments that you might not otherwise notice during these few precious weeks.
Field Update: Loon Wins and Losses
Every year, some of our returning loons get themselves into “hot water,” so to speak. Eric Hanson, VCE’s loon biologist, gives us his mid-season good news/bad news update here.
Three VCE Biologists Appointed as Adjunct Faculty at UVM
We are pleased to announce that three VCE biologists have been appointed as adjunct faculty in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont.
Mansfield Reflection: A Bird in the Hand Instills a Conservation Ethic
Alex Kulungian’s summerlong VCE internship gained him a wealth of experience and insight, including how vital it is that we expose and inspire our youth to take action on behalf of the natural world. An encounter as simple as releasing a banded bird on Mt. Mansfield can be the trigger for a lifetime commitment to conservation.
Mansfield Wrap: Molt, Migration, and a Crowd-Pleasing Owl
VCE’s final 2018 summer banding session on Mt. Mansfield featured a much-anticipated tiny owl, songbirds in heavy flight feather molt, and thoughts about the impending fall migration that will take Bicknell’s Thrush (and VCE biologists) back to Cuba.
